Postgraduate students on UK Master's programmes in business-related subjects increased by just over 300% in the period from 2000 to 2012 (HESA 2000-2012).
In recent years up to 80% of these students have come from overseas the major markets being China and India. Also occurring within this decade has been a move by most UK institutions to reduce the length of the Master's programme from 18 to 12 months and this shift alone is probably one of the major reasons for the increase in student numbers. In addition many UK Universities have set up partnerships joint ventures or their own campuses in overseas locations to deliver both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Whatever the contractual arrangement the UK partner is generally responsible for assuring the quality of the programme. This can mean sending academics abroad to teach and sit on exam boards and calling upon UK academics to first or second mark some if not all of the work from students on overseas campuses. At present however the growing number of students is not generally followed by additional resources for teaching.
This report reviews the literature on these themes drawn from journals and other publications related to issues in higher education in general and where available those related specifically to business disciplines. The report concludes with a summary of key themes sub-themes and recommedations from the literature as well as some recommendations for future research.
